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Profile: Swissgarde is a leading international Network Marketing Company, specialising in health and beauty products, with over 500 000 Distributors throughout Africa. Now operating in South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. Swissgarde is well on its way to becoming a leading force in Network Marketing throughout Africa, offering a lifelong business opportunity based on the following core values:

Trust Integrity Openness DynamismProfessionalism.
In the twenty one years since its formation, the company now boasts a product range of over 150 products and a Distributorship of over 500 000 Independent Distributors. Operating from its impressive Home Office in Midrand, South Africa, Swissgarde is able to offer superior service to its Distributors and Depot Owners.

History: Swissgarde was founded in 1991 by Lou Bayhack, a Pharmacist by profession. After developing his first product called Skin Protector, Lou set about developing a system, which could enable him distribute his products directly to the customer. After months of research and consultation, Lou formulated a Network marketing business plan, which would enable anyone of any age, background or education to develop their own business.

In just over 3 years the business was a success and Lou was approached by the Giant Multi-National Sara Lee Corporation. In August 1994, Swissgarde was incorporated into the fold of the Direct Selling Division of Sara Lee and since then has continued to grow from strength to strength. It is now in partnership with yet another Giant Multi-National Corporation, TupperWare.

The company’s product range has been extended to include Health Care, Skin Care, Fragrances and Toiletries. The Swissgarde range of products is formulated according to the highest standards and is fast becoming a household name in Southern Africa and many other African countries.

Quality Assurance: Swissgarde takes its commitment very seriously.

The attribute that sets Swissgarde apart is attention to detail. Swissgarde continuously works to develop products that meet the highest safety and efficacy standards that assure product consistency and integrity.

On delivery, all products are tested and approved by the Company’s Quality Control Department. Every product has a batch number. If a customer has a question about a product, Swissgarde can check the retention samples to resolve the query.

At Swissgarde, quality is not just a word – it’s a commitment. It is quality from start to finish, ensuring that the products you receive are of the best standard. That’s why the Swissgarde coat of arms carries the company’s motto, “Finest Quality”. It is a promise you can count on!

Research & Development: From the beginning, Swissgarde’s commitment to its customers has driven the company to provide the kind of innovative, safe effective products that truly make a difference in people’s lives. The commitment is still as strong today.

Company expertise and complete dedication provide the foundation for product development. Each product is as a result of exhaustive research and development and you can be certain that any product you purchase from Swissgarde will meet uniquely high standards of excellence.

For information on becoming a distributor in Nigeria please call 08023467737 , 08060778264 or click here to fill contact form

Network Marketing is truly an exciting business. And there are quite a lot of genuine opportunities out there but not all of them will be right for you. Some you will succeed at and others you will fail. And there are several factors that can determine the outcome of your involvement in any MLM business. I will outline a few things you must consider before joining an MLM company:

What product/service does the company deal in?: You must feel passionate about the product/service you are offering for sale otherwise you won’t be motivated to sell them or tell anyone about them. And that automatically means you won’t make any money. So my advice is to find a company that has a service or product line that you are extremely passionate about because passion is infectious and motivates the customer or prospect to consider your offer.

What is the cost of the product/service?: If the products/service are too expensive for those in your social circle, then it’s most likely you won’t have anyone to sell the products to. And this can lead to a lot of frustration. It’s best to stick to products that you know most people around you can afford. That way you are guaranteed repeat business.

Is there a real demand for the product?: Some companies offer some fanciful products that nobody wants. They may be technologically advanced and have some heavenly esthetic quality. It might even be something that people really need but the truth is no one pays for something they don’t desire. So don’t waste your time marketing things that no one wants unless you don’t mind tying down your money in unwanted stock.

Do the products deliver on their promise?: The key to success in business is repeat business. And the way to guarantee repeat business is to sell a product or offer a service that adds real value to the customer. This is what will motivate the customer to keep buying. If the company’s products or service don’t deliver, you won’t get repeat business and that’s bad for business. The products must do what the company says it will do and the service must deliver satisfactorily.

Are you allowed to personally select your products?: If the company compels you to buy products that you know you will have a hard time selling then there is no need to waste your time with that company. If your customers won’t pay for such products then you need to find another company that will allow you to select only products that you know your customers will be willing to pay for.(Check out SWISSGARDE Health & Beauty )

What is the entry fee?: This is very key to your success in network marketing. Make no mistake about this. You must choose a company that has a registration fee that most people you know can afford to risk investing. It really doesn’t make any difference if you can afford but your prospects can’t. Because if you can afford the registration fee and your prospective recruits can’t, you won’t be able to register anyone, let alone grow a team and earn commissions.

What is the time lag between ordering the products and delivery? : This is very essential to your success in the business. No customer is going to wait forever for your award winning product to arrive. You’ve got to be sure that the company either has a depot that you can easily get products from or that it is certain that it will take no less than a day or two for you to get your products to your customers ( except in out-of-stock situations). Outside of this condition you’re bound to lose potential customers.

What is the marketing plan? : I chose to list this as my last point so as to deemphasize the hype that is often placed on it as the sole key to success in Network Marketing. The Marketing plan outlines the cost of registration, how commissions are paid, what qualifies a distributor for the earnings, the criteria for business growth, compensations at each growth level and the activities that produce the best financial output. This is the most enticing part of the business and a lot of people assume that the business will be profitable as long as the marketing plan promises a pot of gold. This is rarely the case. There are several other factors that determine the profitability of a Network Marketing business, some of which I have already outlined. But it’s important that you examine the marketing plan closely and determine firsthand if it’s workable, if the criteria for earning commissions is realistic and if all the other factors I listed above are present.

It’s also important to note that a marketing plan that guarantees quick growth to a manager level, does not automatically guarantee high earnings at that level.

If you’ve been in Network Marketing / MLM for at least a month, you’ll most likely hear people say something like this; ” the products don’t matter, what matters is the business opportunity”. And we are constantly told by some leaders in the industry to de-emphasize selling and emphasize more of the recruiting. Of course this is to their benefit because if the downline keeps growing they keep earning. So it’s all for a selfish reasons.

I’ve been around in MLM long enough to know that the business opportunity is tied to the products. In fact, the business opportunity and compensation / marketing plan are all useless without the product. The only activity that brings money into the MLM company is products moving from the manufacturer to the consumers. This where the company makes its profits and extracts the commissions to pay distributors. No sales, no profits, no commissions – that’s how it works!

So for someone to say that selling products don’t matter, he / she isn’t being honest because it absolutely isn’t true. It’s like saying the eyes are not important, what matters is the eyesight. Well, without the eyes there would be no eyesight. Both are just as important.

So let’s start telling ourselves the truth so we can move ahead in this industry. We are sellers first and business leaders next. The whole purpose of the business opportunity is to raise a team of sellers from which the company makes profit and pays you commissions. Never forget that!

If this article has been of help to you please drop me a line on 234-8060778264 , 234-802-3467737

Do you want to start a very profitable, practical and part time Network Marketing business in Nigeria and earn extra money? But don’t have huge capital to invest or the lack the time to do a full-time business?

Well Swissgarde Health & Beauty offers you an opportunity to start a profitable part-time business for next to nothing and start earning as much as you want monthly.

You can equally work from home and Create wealth by helping others get well. No experience or qualification is required. All that is required is a minimum capital of N5,500.

If you are tired of pyramid schemes that waste time and money then you need to give Swissgarde a try. Anyone can be successful in this biz.

Network marketing is probably the most controversial business model in Nigeria and the world at large. Most people either don”t understand it or have nasty things to say about their experiences with it. Some even call it a pyramid scheme. I truly can understand all the aggression towards Network Marketing. I once felt that way towards the business and hated those who introduced me to it. I once felt duped and even left the business for a while until I finally understood why I failed in Network Marketing.

Any time I meet people who”ve failed in Network Marketing, I often ask them one question, ” WHY DID YOU FAIL in Network Marketing?”. Instead stating why they failed, they give me the REASON WHY THEY QUIT Network marketing. They tell me they couldnt sell the products or they just weren”t able to make any money so they quit ( which isn”t such a bad decision). So they blame Network Marketing for their failure. But what if neither they or Network Marketing were responsible for their failure. What if it was their understanding and approach to Network Marketing that was wrong from the start. What if what they were led to believe was misleading. Would it be any surprise if they failed to suceed?

For the most part, I realise that most people who fail in this business, really cant say why they failed. If they don”t know for sure why they failed then how can they confidently place the blame on Network marketing. It”s my hope that maybe I can help you understand why you failed or are failing, and possibly rekindle a dying passion and help you find your path back to success in this business.

So why do some people (Nigerians) fail in Network Marketing? For several reasons:

1. They joined the wrong company: What constitutes the wrong company. It”s different for everybodyI”ll list them;
(a) The company”s registration fee was too expensive for people they knew. If that”s the case then how will you get new recruits to grow your business.One needs to get involved in a business that does not require an entry fee which is beyond the income level of most people in one”s circle of daily interaction.
(b) The company sold products that they were not passionate about. Passion sells! If you don”t like the products how will you be motivated to market them. Customers are always listening for conviction in your voice. If you didn”t have the passion/conviction, they wouldnt buy.
(c) The company sold products that were not affordable. Network Marketing products are expensive.But when they are so expensive that you couldn”t find one person who considered the cost worth the investment then it”s most likely you were in the wrong business.
(d) Orders take forever to arrive. If the company still has logistics problems like consistent order delays, then of course it will ruin your business and make you lose customers which will eventually frustrate you.
(e) The company gives impossible targets as criteria for earning commissions.
(f) There is no real demand for the product. A few friends of mine tried to sell products that Nigerians didn”t really care about. Some people got into businesses that sold foreign discount hotel and flight bookings in Nigeria. It was just a waste of time because the target market is largely for foreigners and besides most Nigerians who can afford to travel abroad don”t need your discounts ( except for a few who can”t sustain your business).

2. It was a Pyramid scheme. Maybe the Network Marketing company was no Network Marketing company at all.
It may have been a pyramid scheme disguised as a legitimate Network Marketing company. I once interviewed a lady who was aggrieved and she claimed the company didn”t sell anything; that people were supposed to make money from registering people. That is fraud! People get arrested for that type of business in the U.S. .Sensible people wont respond to that type of offer.Is it any wonder she failed.

3. There was no “Why” . The term “Why” is a very popular terminology in MLM. It simply means a compelling reason to do the business. If you joined the business because someone pressured you into it or because you were promised instant riches, its most likely your motivation will fizzle out in a short time and you”ll quit.I am not saying wanting riches is bad , but if you had an overwhelming purpose beyond just making money, it would have given you staying power to maintain your motivation till you get the results you expected. The “Why” is the source of all motivation, whether its weathering a stormy marriage, searching for a job, enduring a difficult task or engaging in a challenging business.

4. They were brought into the business for the wrong reasons: Let”s face it. A lot of Nigerians are opportunists. Most of what we do is just for our own selfish benefit alone. Most of us don”t believe in mutually beneficial relationships. We often believe that in order to succeed others have to exploited. But that”s not true. I”ve watched Network marketers register new recruits for just one purpose – to meet their monthly targets or the criteria for the overseas trip. They had no intention of helping that downline grow. The uplines/sponsors had an ulterior motive for signing them up. So the new recruits couldn”t find their way around because they got abondoned immediately after their registration.And as a result, they quit.

6. They never took the time to study Network Marketing or attend trainings.

Social Network

Network Marketing , or MLM as it”s sometimes called, is a unique business model. It has some deviations from the average business model and if one approaches it like every other business, then there”s bound to be failures. There is a system and methodology that succcessful network marketers use to grow their business, e.g. regular home meetings, prospecting, lead-generation, maximizing the marketing plan, sales strategy, leadership and sponsoring skills, reward programs, etc. These things optimally improve the business of Network Marketing and one doesn”t get them by osmosis. You get them by reading MLM books, getting trainings and your experience on the field. Without them there”ll be no meaningful progress.

7. They never learned how to sell. This was my initial challenge. I belong to a Network Marketing company that has one of the best health supplements in the market.But I had just one problem. I didn”t know how to sell the products. Because i couldn”t sell, I couldn”t teach my downlines to sell( so they stopped buying), couldn”t make profits from sales, couldn”t meet my monthly criteria for earning commissions. I was stuck. It was so frustrating until I learned the skills of attracting customers who needed the products, and effectively communicating the benefits of my products to my potential consumers. My sales have increased and I am now more motivated than I ever was.

8. Innability to identify one”s potential customers and downlines. I learned this one the hard way. I once marketed my products to mechanics and some traders. Guess what? They never bought anything. They were never potential customers. They never valued themselves enough to spend N3,000 to N4,000 on a food supplement. Most of them they saw the local chemist as a better option. Then I tried to register some people who could barely afford a meal. I don”t need to tell you how that went. I should have gone to the working class and entrepreneurs who earned at least N50,000 and above per month. They were the ones who were most likely to afford and value my products.

9. Some people don”t adapt the business to their own unique circumstance. The general rule applies; get out there and go market to different groups of people. But what if you working at a job that keeps you at a counter or a table for 8 to 12 hours all day, all week? Does that mean that you can”t succeed in the business. Not necessarily. That”s a unique circumstance and in this case, the exception to the rule should apply. Unfortunately some people don”t know that they can work within their limitations so they quit. I once spoke to a lady in a courier company about the business potential and she said she couldn”t do it because she worked long hours and wouldn”t have the time to go out and sell the products and opportunity to people. I asked her why she thought she needed to go out and she said “it”s the only way I can meet people”. So I said , “but you meet hundreds of new customers at your office every month and you”ve established a rapport with them over the years. Why pursue strangers all over town when you have a steady influx of potential customers and prospects coming to your desk everyday”. That shifted her focus and she suddenly began to see the opportunity that she had been overlooking.

10. Most think that success is about being able to convince people; they don”t understand that success is a numbers game. I”ve heard people say I quit because I wasn”t able to convince anyone. But truth be told, you have no power to convince anybody. I can”t convince a carpenter to buy tools if he doesn”t want them, no matter my persuasive powers. So how will I know the carpenter that wants new tools? By simply offering my tools to as many carpenters as possible till I find one that wants the tools. It”s a game of numbers. The more people you present your business and products to, the greater your chances of getting a positive response as opposed to quitting because you spoke to just a few friends and relatives who later turned you down.

11.They felt unworthy of the success they claimed to pursue. Now this is deep. I”ve been here so I know the territory very well. Most people will be too embarrassed to admit they didnt see themselves as the kind of person who deserved to earn N100,0000 , N300,000 ,N1Millon , etc. If you feel unworthy of the goals you set then you are bound to fail because you won”t be motivated to make the necessary investment to achieve them. The best advice is to set smaller goals and raise them as your confidence level increases.

12. They never held home meetings. This is the fastest way to grow your business. All successful Network Marketers use this method. It allows you tap into the power of leverage. Instead of following up people all over town ( which is too demanding and ineffecient), instead you assemble them every week at a venue for trainings and sharing ideas and watch the attendance grow steadily. Churches employ this method to grow their congregation. A lot of Network Marketers don”t realise that this is a major reason they are frustrated.

13. People allowed themselves get distracted from their main goal and go chasing shadows. You hear people saying things like, “my goal is to reach the Manager level”. Then they get to manager level and realise that it doesn”t guarantee significant earnings, which is the main reason they got involved in the first place. This frustrates them and they quit because they didn”t realise they should have concentrated on building a sales team that would have raked in a huge turnover from which to earn commissions when they rise to manager status. So their focus was wrong. Some even got lured into other Networks because they were told it was the reigning business, and abandoned all the fruits of their hardwork in the previous company.

14. They didn”t understand the company”s marketing/compensation plan. Most people don”t know where to put in most of their effort for optimal returns so they waste their energy on low-value activities. The marketing /compensation plan helps you apply the 80/20 RULE which states that only 20% of your activities yield 80% of the result. So to make significant progress you must focus on the 20% high-value activites that yield the 80% optimal results. People try to recruit the whole world instead of recruiting a few, and focusing on training these few to duplicate theselves into a large organization, that eventually rakes in huge turnovers. So people quit because they achieve very little in spite of their hardwork. They should have sat down with the company brochure and identified the activites with the highest commissions.

15. Some didn”t know how to motivate their downlines. They didn”t help their downlines discover their “Why”. If you didn”t take the time to really know your downlines and discover what interests them, it would have been impossible to motivate them. The only way to motivate downlines is to offer the business as an avenue to express what”s most important to them or to aid them in achieving their most cherished goals. That”s the only way to carry people along with you because everyone wants to know what”s in it for them.
The inability to motivate downlines is a major reason why people were frustrated out of the business.

I hope I have been able to help some of you identify where you failed or are failing in your business. Learn the principles and succeed with your Network Marketing business. Good luck!